Launching in 2017, Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service has sought to be a ‘Netflix for games’ since its inception. Offering access to a wide variety of games for the cost of a monthly subscription, Game Pass titles can be played not just on Xbox consoles, but also on PC, and streamed via a wide variety of other devices, such as smartphones and even TVs.

Though most video gaming websites and content creators focus on the big budget, blockbuster titles that the subscription service offers, there’s always a robust selection of smaller scale games available on Game Pass; though titles come and go, significant discounts are offered while games are on Game Pass, so they can be purchased cheaper and played when they no longer remain as part of the subscription.

With so many titles available and such a variety of genres on offer, does Game Pass provide good value for fans of card games? Let’s take a look!

What Card Games Are Available on Game Pass?

As of the time of writing, a search using the ‘Card and Board’ game genre filter on Game Pass yields 9 results. Which, given that there are more than 400 Game Pass titles available, doesn’t seem like a great deal. Of course, if you’re only interested in playing card games with your Game Pass subscription, it may not be the best option for you.

Especially as, of those 9 titles that fall into the ‘Card and Board’ category, two are definitely ‘Board’ rather than ‘Card’ (so remove yourselves from the equation, For the King II and Lost in Random!), and another is the Microsoft Solitaire Collection. Though the latter is definitely a card game, it doesn’t seem to me that having the widely available (with countless free versions on the market) Solitaire as part of the subscription is going to tempt anyone to subscribe to Game Pass.

So the games we have remaining, in alphabetical order, are as follows: Balatro, Inscryption, Legends of Runeterra, Monster Train, Slay the Spire and Wildfrost.

The Xbox Game Pass Card Games Provide Quality Over Quantity

That list of card games currently available for Xbox Game Pass really does showcase a stunning level of quality, despite the small number of titles. Here at Card Gamer, we’re huge fans of every one of those games, and, Legends of Runeterra aside (which we’ll come to in a minute), each of them could lay claim to being among the very best digital card games ever made.

Legends of Runeterra, a card game spin-off of the ever popular League of Legends, is a free to play game, so its inclusion here may be a little suspect; however, do note that Game Pass subscribers can claim free content for the title, and it is an excellent, accessible game which is well worth checking out anyway.

Balatro is my number one played game on Steam by hours of playtime, and since its arrival on Game Pass, the number of hours I’ve spent playing the poker-based roguelike is, frankly, even more ridiculous. It’s one of the most addictive games I’ve ever played, and having it available to play for no extra cost on Game Pass, if you’re already a subscriber, is fantastic.

Inscryption is another roguelike game, yet it’s unlike any other game you’ll find on this list, and perhaps unlike anything else you’ll ever play. A dark, psychological horror game with deckbuilding and card-based combat as its central mechanics, Inscryption is a sadly underrated game that deserves a much bigger audience. It’s a game that really must be experienced without too much spoiled of it in advance, so if you have Game Pass, it’s a title you simply must try for yourself.

Monster Train, which has just been joined by a sequel, is one of the finest deckbuilding roguelike games to have emerged in the gold rush of games in the genre, which was kicked off by the success of titles such as Slay the Spire.

Of course, Slay the Spire itself, still one of the very best examples of deckbuilding roguelike games, is also available to play on Game Pass. Another game, like Monster Train and Balatro, which we here at Card Gamer have sunk an unbelievable amount of time into, Slay the Spire has many imitators, but very few have come close to its quality in the years since it was first released.

Finally, there’s Wildfrost, which is a deckbuilding roguelike with a very cute aesthetic. However, though it may look adorable, don’t be fooled. It’s brutally difficult! That said, it’s well worth persevering with and we’ve got a ton of strategy guides to help you progress; check out our guide on how to unlock tribes, for example, or how to defeat the Snow Knight!

So, with all of those games in mind, is Game Pass worth subscribing to if you’re a card gamer? That very much depends on how many of the card games on offer are already in one or more of your digital game libraries already, but also perhaps how much you’ll be looking to explore beyond just the card game titles on the service. Remember also that games can be removed, but also games can be added too; the current selection of card games on Game Pass are, however, extremely strong, and each one is good enough, and has enough content, to keep you going for quite some time!

Check out our other coverage of digital games, with our review of the superb Into the Restless Ruins, our picks for the top deckbuilding games on Switch and our review of all-ages friendly deckbuilding roguelike, Nif Nif.